Lesson 8 - Igneous Rocks
Lesson 8 - Igneous Rocks
Lesson 8 - Igneous Rocks
1. Ultramafic
2. Mafic
3. Intermediate
4. Felsic
1. Ultramafic Igneous Rocks
• They have a very low silica content; less than 45% of SiO2.
• Before forming into igneous rocks, its magma has very low
viscosity.
• Its color is ranged too black (peridotite) to olive green (dunite).
• Their density is very high.
• They are rich in pyroxene and olivine minerals.
• Examples of these rocks are peridotite and dunite.
2. Mafic Igneous Rocks
• They have a low silica content; 45-52% of SiO2.
• Before forming into igneous rocks, its magma has low
viscosity; more viscous than ultramafic magma.
• They have black color.
• Their density is high.
• They are composed of pyroxene, calcium-rich plagioclase
feldspar
• Examples of these rocks are gabbro and basalt.
3. Intermediate Igneous Rocks
• They have a high silica content; 53-65% of SiO2.
• Before forming into igneous rocks, its magma has intermediate
viscosity; more viscous than the mafic magma.
• Their color is gray.
• Their density is intermediate.
• They are composed of biotite, alkali feldspar and quartz.
• Examples of these rocks are diorite and andesite.
4. Felsic Igneous Rocks
• They have a very high silica content; more than 65% of SiO2.
• Before forming into igneous rocks, its magma has high
viscosity; more viscous than the intermediate magma.
• They have light color.
• Their density is very low.
• They are composed of quartz and alkali feldspar.
• Examples of these rocks are granite and rhyolite.
Ultramafic has the darkest color and felsic has the
lightest color. To sum, the higher the silica content is,
the lighter its color while the lower the silica content is,
the darker its color. Thus, the amount of silica affects
the color of the rocks.
Felsic has the highest silica content while ultramafic has
the lowest silica content. On the other hand, felsic is
exposed to 700 degree Celsius and ultramafic is
exposed to 1200 degree Celsius. It means when
igneous rock is exposed to extreme high temperature, its
color is darker, while if it is exposed to lower
temperature, its color is light.
What are the types of igneous rocks based on texture?
• Phaneritic texture. Rocks have large minerals (example: granite)
• Aphanitic texture. The mineral grains are too small to see with the
unaided eye (example: basalt)
• Vesicular texture. Rocks have many pits from gas escape (example:
basalt)
• Porphyritic texture. Rocks have two (2) distinct grain sizes, large and
small (example: andesite porphyry)
• Glassy texture. Rocks do have obvious minerals (example: obsidian)
QUIZ
Read the following questions and choose the letter of the best answer.
Write your answers in CAPITAL LETTERS.